


Always right here beside you

by ammstar11



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Mortal, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Singer Will, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:00:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27791170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammstar11/pseuds/ammstar11
Summary: Nico seeks escape from his past and broken family, Will is the sunshine and happiness at the end of a storm. They meet by chance and the coincidences just keep on coming. They are neighbors and become great friends who will always be right there beside the other come what may they'll get through it together
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Kudos: 10





	1. New in town

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the first fanfiction I started for Solangelo back in January of this year (2016) but wasn’t sure where I was going with it, once I had figured out how to post my stories I went on working on other ones as the ideas came to me but now I’m back to working on this one and hoping it goes well. My main problem being that I had been writing this story in point form in a small notepad but I had left it in my pocket and it had gone through the wash so now even though parts of it came through okay I’m still probably going to have to redo or replace most of the points I had writing down if I can’t remember them, man I almost cried… I’m telling you now this will be an emotional ride.

Nico just finished moving his things into his new apartment, after finishing high school he had packed up his stuff and moved out of the old house he had shared with his family his entire life; though it was just him and his dad and stepmother there these days if you could even say that much.

Ever since _the incident_ his father was never home. He had moved on with his life, and Nico was sick of being home with all the bitter-sweet memories that that house held. He had spent most of senior year looking into finding a place; he had a job throughout most of high school and was saving up money so that he could get out on his own. It wasn’t difficult holding a job while finishing school, he had only been involved in the minimal amount of extra-curricular activities required for his resume, and collage applications, he tried to fill his time as much as possible to avoid being home, since no one would be there anyway.

He wasn’t the most sociable person but he had a good work drive allowing him to pick up extra shifts whenever they were available, soon he had found an apartment online and sent in the down deposit and now here he was, it was Thursday the week after graduation, he did attend, not that it really mattered it’s not like there was anyone there to see him walk across the stage.

He shook his head he really needed to find something to distract him from all of his bitter thoughts; he was pretty tired after lugging all of those boxes up two flights of stairs. It had taken him three hours to move his things from his old home to this new city. The movers had already left wishing him luck with his new life. He had thanked them and started organizing boxes by room but gave up after a few minutes, he needed energy - he needed coffee. So he grabbed his old leather jacket off the couch where he had thrown it and threw on his shoes before heading out the door.

Nico walked down the street looking around for any sort of café or coffee house in the area and spotted a small café located down the street and immediately headed for it. Once there he could see that it wasn’t as small as he had first thought, it had a comfortable atmosphere to it, it was well lit but not overly bright, it had a good amount of tables and chairs around the room, a counter with a display case full of treats and a large menu board hanging behind the counter with large lettering big enough to read easily enough from were Nico was standing that he didn’t have to worry about holding up a line while deciding what he wanted. He settled for just a large black coffee that he could add cream or sugar to himself at the little station past the counter.

As he approached the till to order he noticed the guy taking orders, he was tall and tan with wavy golden blond hair and a bright smile with a dusting of freckles on his face, he was so bright and cheerful Nico was a little taken aback by it, this guy was clearly the exact opposite of Nico but he couldn’t take his eyes off of him, he almost didn’t notice when the guy had asked for his order, Nico cleared his throat hoping his slight embarrassment didn’t show on his face as he placed his order, the guy just kept smiling as he rang up the order and turned to make it.

Nico wondered how it was possible to smile so brightly that much, it had to have hurt his face. Perhaps it was like how when you’re a kid and grownups would tell you not to make silly faces in case your face froze like that, maybe this guy smiled so much he was stuck like that, Nico had to suppress a laugh at that thought as the smiling guy turned back and handed him his drink. Nico thanked him and went over to the small counter and added a little cream and sugar to his coffee and went to sit at a small table in one corner of the room and as he was sitting there with his drink he looked over and noticed a small stage with instruments set up, a sign close by said **OPEN MIC NIGHT THURSDAY’S 6:00PM** Nico lifted an eyebrow at that, an open mic night at this quiet little café seemed a little odd but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, he never really went to any of those back in high school like his classmates had, he remembered the hype they all had made about them but he had never cared.

He looked at his phone; it was 5:54 now. Just then he saw the blond guy from the till walk past and head to the stage, Nico watched as he moved a stool in front of the mic stand and then adjust the stand as he sat down and started tuning a guitar he had pulled out of a case on stage and checking wires, Nico wondered if the guitar belonged to the guy or if the instruments were there for anyone to use. He sipped his coffee trying not to seem to obvious that he was watching this guy so much, after all the show hadn’t even started yet he looked down at his phone again, 5:59.

_tap tap_

He looks up to see the blond now doing a sound check with the mic and then he spoke.

“Hello everyone welcome to the open mic night, my name is Will and I’ll be starting off the night with a song, anyone else who would like to come on stage can sign up on the sheet beside the stage, we encourage anyone to try, and this is all just for fun so let’s show some support once each person or group has gone shall we? Now without any further ado…” and with that he started strumming on the guitar and Nico was surprised by the strong clear voice singing, it was so pleasant to listen to he almost forgot about his coffee, he was too busy staring at this guy _Will_ he told himself while he was singing, it wasn’t the type of song Nico usually listened to but he was drawn in by the sound of Will’s voice almost like he was under a spell, he was brought back to the present when he heard a couple of girls maybe a year or two younger than him sitting close by giggling as they made goo goo eyes at Will up on stage.

Nico wondered for a second what his face must have looked like and he felt his cheeks heat up slightly, pushing that thought out of his head he continued to drink his coffee finishing it off as the song ended and he joined the room in a round of applause as Will got up from the stool, took a small bow then smiled and put the guitar away before leaving the stage.

While a couple of girls walked on stage, Will was walking by Nico’s table and he wanted to say something like “That was incredible.” or “You’re really talented.” or something like that when he heard his thoughts spoken by the two girls sitting by him that he had seen swooning over Will during the song. Nico felt a little annoyed that someone had beat him to the punch but why should he care?

He saw Will stop at the girls table, he smiled shyly while running a hand through his golden waves.

“Thank you, I usually start off open mic night since it starts right as my shift ends.” One girl giggles and askes “So are you in a band or something?” she bats her eyes at Will and Nico resists the urge to roll his eyes.

 _Girls_ he thinks to himself _they’re always flirting_. he remembered when his sister used to gush over boys… pain grips his heart at the thought of his sister. Nico stands up keeping his head down as he walks past the table where Will was talking to the two girls and throws out his cup on his way out the door, it seems that even after moving away and setting out on his own he still can’t escape his painful memories.

…

Will watches as the dark haired guy from earlier walks past him and out the door, he has his head down and looks kind of upset, Will couldn’t help wondering what was wrong. He was brought out of his thoughts when the girls he was chatting with continued asking questions.

“So are you here every week?”

“I work different shifts each week, but I usually come by for the open mic night.” he gives them another smile and they blush and continue giggling. “Sorry but I have to go now, please enjoy your evening.” the girls pouted a little but he went off to the staff room to get his things and when he got outside he couldn’t help a quick look around to see if the dark haired guy from before was still around but didn’t see him. Will lets out a little sigh _too bad_ when he thought about the spaced out looks he noticed the guy giving him he couldn’t help thinking about how he was totally his type.

…

When Nico got back to his apartment he looked around and saw everything lying around and decided he’d wait until tomorrow to unpack and put things away, but as for now he should probably get something to eat. The thought hadn’t occurred to him until now but he was really hungry. Well after all he hadn’t actually eaten anything since this morning so he let out a sigh and grabbed his jacket and shoes again and headed out the door.

He walked around until he came to a McDonald’s and decided to get something from there. Once inside he saw how packed it was but there were still some seats available so he decided to eat in, he went up to the counter and ordered a 10 piece chicken Mc nuggets meal with a coke, after a few minutes he got his food and went to sit down at a small table to eat.

…

Will walked into the McDonald’s and thought about getting a salad to go when he spotted the guy from earlier, he smiled to himself, how lucky was he to bump into the cute guy here? He thought he’d try his luck so he got his food to stay and as soon as his order was up he walked up to the cute guy and after summoning up all of his courage he cleared his throat, “Hey, is this seat taken?” The cute guy looks up a little startled and stares blankly at Will, he can feel his courage leaving him but he tries again, “There’s not really anywhere else to sit so do you mind?” he nods over his shoulder to the rest of the room that’s packed full, the cute guy seems to understand and nods so Will sits down, he offers a friendly smile “I’m Will by the way.” he says then remembers that this guy was at the open mic night so of course he knew that already so he quickly adds “Will Solace.” and hopes he saved himself from embarrassment and holds out his hand for a friendly hand shake hoping he’s not being too forward, why was he messing up so bad?

He felt like an idiot, but his fear was quickly dispelled when the cute guy shook his hand and offered an awkward but cute smile in return then quietly introduced himself.

“Nico Di Angelo.”

He had a slight accent that Will thought was so cute though he couldn’t quite place it but going with his name he would guess… Italian? He wanted to hear more of that cute voice so he tried to make small talk. “So did you enjoy the song?” He hoped he didn’t sound needy or anything like he was looking for attention.

Nico gave a small shrug, “It’s not the kind of song I’d normally listen to, but it was really good, you have a good voice…” he trailed off and blushed slightly.

 _Damn he was cute_. Will had to suppress a smile, it wouldn’t be good to embarrass the guy and scare him off so he continued to conversation. “Oh? So what kind of music do you usually listen to?”

Nico took a sip of his drink before answering. “A few things I guess, jazz, blues, rock, some metal, some classic.”

Will smiled. “That’s quite the variety, interesting.” Nico stared down at his half eaten food so Will continued talking so the other could eat. “I like quite a few things myself, there’s not really much that I don’t listen to, my friends and I used to have karaoke parties all the time so I got kind of used to singing just about any song.” _Please don’t let this come off as self-absorbed_ he thought to himself, Nico didn’t seem to mind though, he just sat and ate his food, _maybe he wasn’t really up to talking._

So Will ate in silence for a couple of minutes with him when Nico suddenly spoke up.

“I’ve never been to an open mic night before, was that your guitar or do you guys just sort of keep instruments around the café?” he spoke quietly but still loud enough to be heard as if he wasn’t used to talking a lot.

“It’s mine, but yeah we keep the instruments there for people to use, they get put away in a storage closet after the open mic night so nothing happens to them.” He offered another smile and Nico returned it with a small shy smile of his own, _man this guy was too cute_. After that they finished their food and as they got up to throw away the trash and leave Will wanted to continue talking with Nico so he worked up his courage again.

“I live in the area so if you live around here too why don’t we head out together then we could keep talking?” he paused for a moment hoping he wasn’t being too pushy so he added “if you don’t mind that is, it’s up to you.” _yeah nice save there Solace_ he thought. His spirits lifted though when Nico answered

“Okay sure.” He said it really quietly but Will was glad to hear it.


	2. Neighborly

Nico hoped his face wasn’t red as he walked next to Will, he was so upbeat and bright and so good looking Nico couldn’t imagine why he would want to talk to someone like him, they were like night and day, so totally different from each other. When Will had asked to join him Nico’s heart had nearly stopped. Sure the restaurant was pretty packed but what are the odds that they would run into each other there and then end up sitting together?

 _At least my mouth wasn’t hanging open like a fish._ That’s all he needed was to look like a complete idiot in public like that.

He wasn’t very good at conversations but Will seemed comfortable enough taking the lead and telling stories which was just fine with Nico, Will had a beautiful voice, even when he wasn’t singing. It still seemed to wash over him like magic, he forced that thought out of his mind, he didn’t need to space out now and really look stupid.

Will was talking again, saying how he and one of his coworkers had pitched the idea to hold an open mic night every Thursday to encourage participation with people from the community. “It was really Lou’s idea, she really loves live entertainment and since we’ve known each other since grade school I was kind of voluntold for the opening act.” He gave a small light laugh when he saw Nico’s confused look at the odd word. “It means she volunteered me but really was telling me I didn’t really have a choice in the matter.” His smile grew when Nico gave a nod of understanding.

 _Voluntold_ he was going to have to remember that one. They got about a block and a half from the McDonald’s when Nico stopped in front of his building and started digging through his jacket pocket for his door key, he paused when Will let out an amused laugh.

“Oh you live here too?”

 _Was there a happy note in his voice?_ Nico wasn’t sure if he had imagined it or not, he was still stuck on the ‘too’. “You live in this building?” Nico asked, once again wondering what the odds could be.

“Yeah, I’ve lived here for about a year; it’s my first time seeing you though. Are you new?”

Nico nodded. “Just moved in today actually. I haven’t even unpacked yet.” He got out his key and let them into the building. “So which floor do you live on?” he can’t help wondering how far the coincidences could possibly go, his breath hitches when he hears Wills answer.

“Third floor, 312.”

Nico can’t help it, he lets out a little laugh. “I’m in 310, I guess we’re neighbors.” his cheeks heat up and he quickly looks ahead and starts up the stairs so he misses the delighted smile that flashes across Will’s face.

“Well if you would like, I could help you with the unpacking, but it’s up to you! It wouldn’t be too much trouble or anything!” he kind of rushed that last part but Nico hardly noticed, he was still trying to wrap his mind around this whole weird situation.

“Uh…yeah, sure. I guess.” he feels like an idiot, couldn’t he form a proper sentence? But Will seemed to accept this.

“Cool, how about I come over now, I’m sure there are a few things I could help with right now.”

As they reach their floor they walk over to Nico’s door, while he unlocks it he thinks about the offer. “I guess that would be alright, but are you sure? Didn’t you just get off work not that long ago?” Will just shrugs like its no be deal. Nico can’t help feeling like Will is the laidback type.

“It’s no big deal, it’s not like I have that far to go to get home or anything, besides maybe we could talk some more, I was kind of having fun.”

Nico tried not to blush at that, he had really enjoyed the time they were spending together too. “Alright, um just put your jacket on the couch for now I guess.” he takes off his shoes by the door and lays his jacket over the back of the couch and starts moving boxes from the middle of the room and Will follows his lead.

“So how about starting with the kitchen, shouldn’t take too long with the both of us.”

Nico nods, he didn’t really have a plan so anything was fine by him. “Sure, the boxes are over here, I don’t have that much yet.” They begin taking boxes into the kitchen where there’s a small table and a couple of chairs off to the side so they set a few boxes on it and start sorting out dishes and pots and pans. It only takes about five minutes and then they move onto placing boxes into the bedroom and Nico unpacks some pillows and bedding and places them on the bed, meanwhile Will places boxes and suitcases with clothing by the closet and along the wall.

When they are done they head out to the living room to take a break on the couch. Nico gets up after a moment and goes to the kitchen and brings back glasses of water for them both handing one to Will.

“Thanks for all of your help; I don’t know how long this would have taken me on my own.” Will smiles warmly at him and he has to make himself look away so that he isn’t staring.

“Hey no problem, I mean what are neighbors for right?” Nico turns away slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I don’t usually interact with my neighbors; I’m not really a people person I guess you could say.” Will just shrugs.

“That’s okay everyone has different comfort zones, you don’t have to talk to everyone and be everyone’s friend all the time, you just need a small handful of really good friends in life to get you through.” he had on that killer smile again that made Nico’s heart flutter when he turned back to look at him again, he took another drink of water and tried and calm himself down.

…

Will wasn’t sure what made him feel so philosophical all of the sudden but he really wanted to feel closer to Nico, hopefully he wasn’t sounding too preachy though, to change the subject he decided to go back to the introductions.

“So we already know each other’s names, how about we talk a little more about ourselves?” he saw Nico try and process this and quickly added, “That is if you want to, I’m not trying to be nosy or anything, I know we just met and all.” but Nico shook his head to let him know it was fine.

“It’s okay, like you said we’re neighbors after all.” Will’s heart leapt with joy at that.

“Well I guess we can skip the names since we already went over that, I’m 20, I moved out here to get out on my own shortly after high school, I’m studding kinesiology and biology right now, working my way up to pre-med, a friend of mine got me the job at the café so that I can have a little spending money on the side, my parents saved up money for my tuition since I was in kindergarten and I’ve had a number of odd jobs since I was 10 to help save up as well.” hoping he wasn’t rambling too much he glanced over at Nico to make sure that he wasn’t bored but he seemed to be paying close attention and Will felt his heart lift so he continued.

“I had a paper route every summer, I babysat for my neighbors, and when I was old enough I got a job at the local grocery store for a few years, so now I’m just keeping up with my studies and working part time at the café.” Wow it was like he had just opened the flood gates on his life story and just spilled most of the past ten years to a guy he’d only just met that evening, even for Will this was new. “Well that’s my story, how about you?” _please don’t sound pushy!_ he thought to himself not for the first time that day.

Nico set his glass down and took a deep breath before telling his story.

“I just turned 18 in January, I had been saving up money from my part time job that I had had since I was 15 so that I could move out and be on my own. I had money set aside for me for when I chose to go to college.” there was a slight hitch in his voice when he said that part about the money but Will decided it’d be better not to ask for the time being.

“I looked around for affordable places in cities with colleges or universities and decided on this place, sent in the down deposit and moved my stuff in, the larger furniture was brought in a few days ago and set up, the smaller things were brought in today.”

Will was amazed by the efforts Nico must have put in in order to be completely independent so soon, Will had known for a while now that he wanted to move here because of the many possibilities of volunteering in the medical field and going to medical school, he had his heart set on this place most of high school, but Nico had just wanted a new start and chose here, Will was glad that he did though he wouldn’t admit that, at least not yet so he spoke up.

“well whatever your reasons for coming here, it’s a great place to live and if you want help finding a job or anything I could help or if you just want a tour of the city or something I’m right next door.” he tried for an easygoing smile hoping he wasn’t being too pushy or rambling again.

Nico smiled slightly at the offer.

“Sure thanks.”

Will wondered what time it was, they had left the café shortly after 6:10 pm, met up at McDonalds around 6:40, spent roughly half an hour talking while they ate and spent about fifteen minutes walking back to the apartment, after that they had spent around an hour and a half moving boxes and unpacking, his watch read 10:20 _wow_ they had spent awhile talking, it had just felt so natural that he hadn’t noticed how late it had gotten.

“Well I should probably go, I work tomorrow and wouldn’t want to keep you up too late rambling on and on.” he paused and ran a hand through his hair, “I-I’ll see you around?” he wasn’t sure where to go with this, should he just walk to the door? Should he try for a handshake? He wasn’t going to try for a hug that’s for sure, why did he have to be so flustered right now when talking had felt so normal before?

…

While Will was trying to figure out what to do next Nico stood up took the glasses to the kitchen and picked up Wills jacket for him. He couldn’t believe they had spent so much time together, he had felt so at ease talking to Will and had enjoyed listen to him, normally he would find it hard talking to new people and he would definitely not have just told them so much about himself after having just met them. He offered the jacket to Will and tried for a slight smile.

“Thanks again for the help, it was nice to sit and talk like that. I’ll see you around?” Will was back to his smiling self again seriously who smiled that much? Was he even human?

“Yeah maybe I’ll see you at the café again, have a good night.” He said as he turned to leave.

“You too, have a good night.” Nico waited for Will to reach his door and pull out his key before closing his own door.


End file.
